This invention relates to an electric switch and in particular to such a switch which is inexpensively fabricated for use in a throw-away appliance having a limited duty cycle, such as an electrosurgical pencil.
Many appliances of a throw-away nature require switches for activation of the device. While these switches must be reliable and often must be of the type where the user can tell when the switch is opened or closed merely by feel, they will, by the very nature of the device, only be operated a limited number of cycles. Typical of appliances of this type are electrosurgical pencils. These devices have a switch in them which causes current to flow to the pencil from an electrosurgical generator whenever the switch is closed. Since a surgeon will only be making a limited number of cuts in any one operation, and since for sterility reasons the pencil will be discarded after the operation, the switches necessarily will have a limited duty cycle.
However, due to the necessity that the switch be reliable, that it return to its open position when released, that the user can ascertain by feel when it is either opened or closed, rather sophisticated and expensive switches have been used in appliances of this type. While such switches are obviously functionally adequate they raise the cost of the appliance above that which is necessary. While the excess cost associated with using a long duty cycle switch in a throw-away apparatus may not seem significant on a per unit basis, the cumulative effect can be quite significant. This is particularly true in the case of electrosurgical pencils since a large hospital will use a great many of them every year and a relatively small price differential per pencil will result in rather significant differences in overhead costs.